


Pancake Batter and Bad Ideas

by Missy



Category: Brave (2012)
Genre: Diplomacy, F/M, Humor, Matchmaking, Post-Canon, Puns & Word Play, Ribaled Behavior, Romance, Rowdy Behavior, Vikings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-12
Updated: 2018-10-12
Packaged: 2019-07-29 21:45:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16272968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Missy/pseuds/Missy
Summary: Maudie sets out to win the helmet of a viking visitor -with the somewhat unhelpful help of Hubert, Hamish and Harris.





	Pancake Batter and Bad Ideas

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Arithanas](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arithanas/gifts).



Maudie MacIntyre was fifteen years old when she entered the royal household of Dunbroch. Apple-cheeked and merry, she would become no less so as she grew older and began yearning for a fellow of her own. But the primary concern of her whole life was her job. She’d helped take care of the Princess Merida, and now that she had triplet brothers it had fallen to Maudie to care for them.

And they were more than a handful. She swore they would keep her insides as healthy as her outsides, for the number of hours she spent running after them were countless. It was amazing she managed to keep soul and body together, with the amount of energy they caused her to spend. Their sister had been just as adventuresome and rebellious so many years ago, but she hadn’t had anyone to team up with. Hubert, Hamish and Harris were their own best friends, and that often led her into chaos.

 

Now that they were able to run without falling, it was like trying to herd an armful of angry, spitting cats. Take this morning for instance – they wanted extra pancakes. At seven, they knew that they didn’t need an entire stack bigger than their heads to survive. As she wrung batter out of her hair, she reasoned to herself that there must be a man within the kingdoms who would pay attention to her – she would, she thought to herself wryly, gladly spend time with any man who was far over the age of three at this point.

They were just beyond their fifth birthday when the longships appeared in the shimmering waters outside of the castle.

She’d heard of the men who were navigating them through Dunbroch’s frozen waters – they were Vikings, best known for pillaging weaker places. She knew the kings of the three islands – no way would the Vikings would ever penetrate the forces Fergus had set to protect their island. Though, Maudie admitted as the men stomped onto the shoreline and began to exchange awkward pleasantries with her king and queen, she wouldn’t mind if one of them would penetrate her.

She didn’t say that out loud, instead making sure the boys were clean and looked vaguely composed enough to meet their company. She shook each hand as it was offered to her with a grunt and a look askance. 

She was introduced to them summarily; Ulfric, the leader, was cool-eyed and intimidating; Wolfric, his brother, was second in command; Kendric, the younger, had bright shining eyes and a carefree attitude, and asked her about her fragrance. 

“Baking bread,” she said. “These wee demons tricked me into falling into the bread bin this morning to get some extra treats.”

“I’ll keep my eye on you three,” he said, mock-growling. But she could see quite clearly that there wasn’t an evil bone in his whole body.

Maudie giggled – actually giggled like a little school miss, to her total embarrassment. But he didn’t scold her for her boldness. Instead he headed away with the rest of his men. They’d be sleeping in the guest rooms in the main castle, she knew, and she would be sure to avoid their prying eyes if he was every lonely.

 

 

****

**~~ &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&~~**

 

 

Candles flickered over the dinner table as the royal family plied their guests with pints of beer and tried to engage them in conversation. They’d come to establish a line of trade; it seemed that all of that conquering and pillaging in hostile environments had thinned their number. 

Merida, nearly grown now, was as good at trying to foster the sense of bonhomie as her parents were. The boys at five were at least able to comport themselves to a decent level that made Maudie proud to be their nursemaid. If she did flirt a little bit with Kendric, well, who was going to blame her? He was so handsome, and kind, and surprisingly tall for someone who had a pointed helmet perched on his head.

She must have been obvious. The boys were kind enough to keep their questions down to a dull roar as she brought them to bed.

“Maudie,” said Hubert, tugging her skirt before she pulled him into bed, “is what ‘Rida said true? You have a pash on Kendric?”

“How did Merida notice that?” She’d been too busy burying her face in the plate of roast she’d been served that she’d seemed not to see anything else.

“She sees eeeverything,” said Hamish. “She’s spooky!”

“Nosy’s more like it,” said Maudie. 

“Do you really think he’s bonnie?” asked Hubert.

She flushed. “I’m not gonna tell you wee sprites what I feel for Kendric of Aulfric!”

“You know his title better than dad does,” said Harris.

“And it’s past your bedtime,” she said, and tucked him quickly into bed before heading out to see if Kendric was likely to be hanging about in the village.

 

 

****

**~~ &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&~~**

 

 

Well, he had been. She arrived back home with her stays loose and leaves in her hair - Merida had flushed, Elinor had frowned –and Fergus had let out a roaring laugh.

“Be careful with the lad, Maudie! You’re gonna break him!”

“Maudie’s not that big, dad!” said Harris innocently. 

“Hush!” she said. Somehow they got through breakfast, and somehow she carved out more time to see Kendric.

Time that was extended when she reached for the door of the alehouse and found it locked from the inside.

The metalsmith rescued them both, and Wolfric was…visibly less than pleased that one of his men was consorting with a common Scotswoman. A required chill descended between them.

 

Maudie was miserable, and didn’t dare consult the queen about it. She finally asked Merida’s advice – a truly embarrassing notion, since the young girl had just gone to enormous and repeated lengths to rid herself of her suitors.

“Well,” Merida laughed softly. “If it’s love you want then it’s love you deserve. Though I don’t have use for the stuff. Maybe you could meet out in the woods?”

“That sounds reasonably good. Will you make the excuse for us both?”

Merida did. Maudie never did learn what she said.

She did learn, however, that Merida's devilish triplet brothers managed to sneak an entire batch of pancakes into her saddlebag, syrup and all.

Maudie and Kendric returned hours later to a great hue and cry - apparently Merida had made quite a speech on their behalf. She was both honored and embarrassed.

And quite sticky.

 

 

****

**~~ &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&~~**

 

 

When the longships set sail that spring, they left without Kendric. 

Maudie waved them goodbye with cloth woven of their design around her shoulders; the first of a few wedding gifts.

Maudie flushed proudly and leaned right up against her handsome soldier. It wasn’t going to be easy to bridge the gap between their cultures and upbringing, but Maudie was willing to try. 

“You little elves had best walk down the aisle with me,” she said, fluffing their hair, head by head. 

The four groans she received made her laugh harder than she had since she was dunked in that pancake batter weeks ago.


End file.
